Author: Rafael

The Bulgarian split squat is a version of a single-leg squat where the back leg is elevated on a bench or a sturdy chair. As a unilateral squat, the exercise focuses more on the quadriceps than similar lower-body compound movements. It also requires a lot of balance and coordination, increasing the core and upper body engagement required to maintain proper form at How to Do a Bulgarian Split Squat: Proper Form, Variations, and Common Mistakes. An excellent exercise to incorporate into a total-body or lower-body routine is the Bulgarian split squat. Owing to the movement’s compound, balance-focused design, it’s best to incorporate it…

If you want to build stronger glutes, you’ll want to do exercises and activities that target those muscles. The “glutes” are actually three different muscles—the gluteus maximus (the largest muscle), the gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus. Read on for 7 moves to try that will build your butt. What Are Glutes? The glute muscles are located under the fatty tissue of your buttocks. They consist of three muscles including the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Your glutes are large, powerful muscles that help you walk, run, sit, stand, and many other movements. You can increase the size…

Chicken breast is an excellent source of lean protein (protein without a lot of accompanying fat). That means most of the chicken breast calories and macronutrients (macros) come from protein. People who eat enough protein are more likely to maintain muscle mass and preserve a healthy metabolism. Chicken breasts are also relatively inexpensive, versatile in recipes, and can be prepare in a variety of ways. For example, baked chicken breasts and air fryer chicken breasts tend to be convenient and healthy cooking methods. Learn more about chicken breast health benefits, food safety, and ways to prepare it as part of a balanced eating…

There are many benefits of doing a plank, as planks are an excellent abdominal and core exercise. To ensure you keep your core strong and stable, add the move to your ab workout program. Keep reading to find out plank exercise benefits and different variations along with instructions. What is a plank? A plank involves balancing on toes and forearms as you hold the rest of your body off the ground. Your spine is kept in a neutral position and your head, torso, and legs are aligned. Planking is an isometric exercise since keep your core muscles contracted in one position at…

Whip up a custom nutrition label and start making healthier choices! It’s as simple as: Enter Your Ingredients Click on ‘Analyze Recipe’ Get Your Nutrition Facts Label Editing Your Recipe You can edit your recipe at any point. Editing ingredients: Hit the pencil icon next to the ingredient name if you’d like to edit or delete individual ingredients. To add new ingredients, hit “+Add Ingredient.” Servings:Choose the number you’d like from the “Number of Servings” dropdown. Starting over:Choose “Analyze New Recipe” or “Start Over.” Note that these options will delete the current information, so if you want to save your…

When calculating your calories burned per step, the number will depend on your weight and height. For instance, a typical 160-pound person of average height will burn about 40 calories per 1,000 steps. This is the equivalent of 0.04 calories per step. The charts below show you how many calories you’d burn in 1,000 steps, 5,000 steps, 10,000 steps, or more. Here is what you need to know about converting your steps to calories burned. Convert Your Steps to Calories To convert your steps to calories burned, you will need to know your approximate steps per mile. Most fitness trackers estimate your…

The leg press is a popular piece of gym equipment that can help build key muscles in your legs. There are two leg press machines commonly found in gyms and home gyms: the standard horizontal leg press and the 45-degree leg press, with a seat that reclines at an angle while your legs press upward in a diagonal direction. Both machines develop the quadriceps and hamstrings of the thigh and the gluteus (buttocks). While it seems like a simple exercise, it’s essential to learn how to use it properly. Paying attention to your form can maximize the strength-building benefits and prevent injury.…

The average person takes between 2,000 and 2,500 walking steps per mile as counted by a fitness band, or phone motion sensor. Running steps have a longer stride length, which means you may take between 1,000 and 2,000 steps per mile. A total of 10,000 steps equals 4 to 5 miles. The number of steps per mile varies from person to person and depends on your stride length. Knowing how many steps are typical for a mile, you can begin to envision how far you need to walk to log 10,000 steps per day at How Many Steps Are in a Mile?. It also works…

As a new yoga student, you might feel overwhelmed by the number of poses, but yoga doesn’t have to be complicated. If you got out of bed this morning and stretched your arms over your head, you already did a yoga pose. A yoga practice is a lifelong pursuit—giving you plenty of time to explore each asana (pose) and to learn sequences of postures. Many basic yoga postures feel very familiar because our bodies bend and fold naturally into them. It’s also helpful to mindfully focus on your breathing so that you can relax and deepen into poses.1 These yoga poses for beginners will keep you occupied for…

Strong arms are important for almost every upper body movement you do each day and your triceps are often the heavy lifters. Anytime you push something—whether it be a door, a stroller, a lawnmower, or a barbell—you’re using your triceps. Further, strong triceps are essential for training other muscle groups.1 The triceps is a single muscle with three different heads: the long head, lateral head, and medial head. All of these heads contract during triceps exercises, but some moves emphasize the muscle fibers of certain triceps heads more than others. The best way to build strong, firm triceps is to choose a mix of exercises…